EXTREME EARTH: A DYSTOPIAN SUPERHERO SETTING is a supers campaign setting inspired by the Iron Age of Comic Books as well as recent television shows like HEROES, ALPHAS, and 24. It takes our world and imagines what it would be like if suddenly some people developed Super Talents (i.e. superpowers) in a world that has far fewer natural resources than our own. Then, it adds a layer of paranoia and corruption which affects all levels of society, which in turn leads to conflicts that further expend those limited resources. It blurs the lines between government, corporations, and the media, so every nation, corporation, and individual is out for themselves. It is a dangerous world where combat can be deadly even for those who possess superpowers. The result is a dark, dystopian world that isn't too hard to envision within the realm of possibility.

The EXTREME EARTH campaign setting is written by Joe Bardales with artwork and original concept by Jon Gibbons. There are seven different books for seven different RPG supers systems: the latest versions of BASH!, Bulletproof Blues, Fate Accelerated Edition, ICONS, Mutants and Masterminds, Savage Worlds, and SUPERS! We have assembled a team of conversion experts to make sure each of these different rules systems is properly tailored to fit the EXTREME EARTH setting. It will be published by Fainting Goat Games who have successfully delivered on two previous Kickstarters (STARK CITY CAMPAIGN SETTING AND CITY BUILDING TOOLKIT and IMPROBABLE TALES) and one Indigogo (JUSTICE WHEELS). EXTREME EARTH: A DYSTOPIAN SUPERHERO SETTING will be available from RPGNow in both PDF and full color print-on-demand as a premium edition softcover using high quality paper.

Hey all. Ade Smith here.I will be handling the M&M converstion for Extreme Earth as well as writing the introductory adventure. Just thought I'd log in and say hello in case anyone had any questions etc.

Extreme Earth as a Supers Campaign SettingAt first glance, Extreme Earth is clearly different from the typical, more traditional supers settings and may not even seem like a superhero campaign setting at all. In addition to Iron Age comic books and recent television shows featuring people with superpowers in more realistic circumstances, it draws inspiration from other sources including science fiction, alternate history, and techno-thrillers. At heart, however, Extreme Earth is indeed a supers campaign setting about people who possess extraordinary powers and abilities and how they choose to use them. Extreme Earth embraces the grim realism and dark outlook of the Iron Age of Comics, but it is only one type of Iron Age setting and not intended to be a sourcebook for the Iron Age of Comics.

In this section, we will examine the tropes and touchstones from Extreme Earth's inspirational sources that underlie the central conceits of the campaign setting and highlight some of the differences between Extreme Earth and more traditional four-color superhero settings.

Grounded In RealismExtreme Earth is a campaign setting that despite its fictional elements should still feel almost plausible and within the realm of possibility given enough time to develop the scientific and technological know-how. Super Talented individuals tend to be weaker than the more stupendous superheroes found in traditional supers campaign settings, but they are by no means impotent and still possess an impressive array of abilities. While other settings include amazing superpowers derived from a variety of often fantastical sources, the Super Talents of Extreme Earth are strictly a man-made phenomenon wrought by scientific hubris. Super Talents are therefore limited not only in how they come about but in what they can accomplish. No one can control time, for example, and time travel is not even a possibility. There is no magic, there are no mythical beings, and there is no such thing as inter-dimensional travel through astral, ethereal, or elemental planes. Likewise the supernatural does not exist, and ghosts and vampires and other things that go bump in the night are no more than fairy tales. On Extreme Earth, the monsters are either human or created by humans.

The Rise of the Anti-HeroOn Extreme Earth, they say one man's hero is another man's villain. The heroes of Extreme Earth often lack the time-honored heroic qualities like altruism and nobility found in more traditional supers settings. Instead, many are deeply flawed individuals struggling with their own problems and circumstances. Some are looking for redemption for past transgressions. Others might be villains who in the moment rise to the occasion and become unlikely heroes. The paragon of virtue is rare, if he exists at all, and idealism is often the first casualty to the harsh reality of Extreme Earth. Still, there are those who desperately cling to their virtues and hope for a better world even in the face of impossible odds. For some, their Super Talents are a blessing; for others, they are a curse. And that personal perspective can change on any given day.

Nothing Is Black And WhiteMoral dilemmas and ethical quandaries are a central theme in Extreme Earth. Unlike many traditional supers campaign settings, there are no hard-defined lines between right and wrong (or good and evil), only shades of gray. A typical Extreme Earth adventure might involve black ops or clandestine missions that include some unpleasant elements like leaving no witnesses behind, even if they are just innocent bystanders. Many times, the player characters will have no choice but to obey the orders of those who hold control over them and undertake a disagreeable assignment. Once they are on their own in the field, however, they can expect to be called upon to make on-the-spot difficult choices like who lives and who dies. But afterward, they will have to learn to live with the decisions they make.

Trust No OneThroughout Extreme Earth, there is an underlying current of fear and paranoia that affects all levels of society. Widespread government corruption and corporate greed have created a prevailing sense of hopelessness and despair among the everyday citizens as they struggle to go about their daily lives. On Extreme Earth, respect for authority and the rule of law commonly found in traditional supers settings have been replaced by fear of governments and law enforcement agencies that cannot be trusted. This distrust is not entirely without cause as many people have witnessed all manners of injustices and atrocities committed by the very people entrusted with their safety and well-being. Government surveillance is as much a fact of life as death and taxes. The existence of Super Talented individuals is another constant source of fear and distrust, and many hold them in great disdain. Extreme Earth is a world where no one can be trusted as neighbor spies upon neighbor while betrayal awaits around every corner.

Skills and What You KnowIn an Extreme Earth campaign, your character's skills and knowledge are just as important as the Super Talents they possess. Not every situation encountered can be handled by the use of Super Talents alone, and then your character's education, experience, and years of training must come into play. Many missions will require investigation, technical or scientific expertise, surveillance, or just the ability to use a weapon efficiently in a firefight. Skilled leadership can also be essential to the success of a mission, especially in a world where trust and respect for authority are not easily given. The successful application of your skills will lead to mission success and gained knowledge of the campaign setting's facts and secrets. And knowledge is power on Extreme Earth, a valuable commodity that can be used as a bargaining chip when the right opportunity comes along.

LethalityDuring the Iron Age of Comics, once mighty and invincible titans started to fall, and superheroes began to die. On Extreme Earth, no one is a god, neither those with Super Talents or those that created them. Player characters on Extreme Earth are strong and gifted but not invincible, and a bullet is still something to be feared. Every day they will face serious injury, even death. Those possessing some form of invulnerability to certain types of personal injury will find it is not unlimited in its capability to protect them from all harm. Likewise, Super Talented player characters should never underestimate the ability of those who fear them to devise ways to exploit their weaknesses, neutralize their special abilities, and bring them crashing down.

Today we released the first of our content previews for EXTREME EARTH featuring Tommy O'Sullivan AKA Hammer, one of the five members of the Wolfpack.Here's a link to an update with more information and a Dropbox link to all seven versions of the PDF, one for each of our supported game systems.

Hammer is an example of what you can expect for each of the main characters in the EXTREME EARTH campaign setting in terms of layout, background information, stat blocks, and most importantly, how the artwork and text work seamlessly together in the book.

>>><<<<Using Mutants and Masterminds with Extreme EarthThe Extreme Earth setting is slightly different from the “standard” M&M setting and the GM is encouraged to use the following suggestions in order to keep this as it is intended.Power Levels: The PL of Extreme Earth player characters should be around 7-8 allowing them to be more capable than a regular “street level” game but should have problems when facing the world’s most powerful superhumans (who are around PL12).

Power Selection: Characters in the Extreme Earth setting tend to have more powers derived from skills or training, the Wildstrain mutation or other genetic manipulation, and high tech devices. Certain powers should be limited for player characters and NPCs. These are:No Magic based powers or descriptors. This includes the Ritualist Advantage. Whilst there are several projects researching Psychic abilities, Magic and other supernatural phenomenon don’t exist in the Extreme Earth setting.No Time Control or Time Travel powers. Powers that allow Characters to “see” the past and the future (precognition and Postcognation) are still available, normally a psychic abilities.No Dimensional Travel. There is no knowledge of any extraplanar dimensions in the Extreme Earth setting so dimensional travel is not possible. This also limits just what characters are able to call upon using the Summon power.No Cosmic based powers or descriptors. Energy based powers should use real world types (fire, Ice etc) and no character should have the Space Travel movement power.The Nullify power or any other ability that steals or manipulates another character’s powers should not be available.Toughness saves, Immunities and Resistances: The GM should pay careful attention to a character’s Toughness save. A character’s total toughness save should be limited to 6. This can be either due to a high Stamina score or levels of a protection power. A score higher than 6 means that a character can easily shrug off damage from small arms and most melee weapons, possibly causing and unbalance the campaign. Combat should be dangerous in Extreme Earth, and whilst 6 is below the usual limit for a PL 8 character, someone who can resist gunfire as easily as someone in a bullet proof vest can still be considered superpowered.

A GM might also wish to disallow the impervious extra from any damage resistant power for similar reasons. The ability to completely ignore almost all mundane weapon damage is likely to cause problems in a setting where combat is always a dangerous option and it may start to stretch believability if every opponent a PC faces is armed with an assault rifle or a chainsaw in order to pose any type of threat. Powers and abilities that temporarily boost a character’s Toughness save (such as the Defensive Roll Advantage) could possibly ignore this limitation at the GMs discretion but still be within the restriction determined by the PL of the character.

Similar considerations should be made with any Immunity or Resistance based power. A character with too many Immunities to Common Descriptors (fire, ice etc) could possibly cause problems within the campaign whilst Immunity to bullets or Toughness saves should be disallowed outright.

Combat: Extreme Earth combat should be fast and brutal and a GM should consider using the following rules to facilitate this:All firearms, edged weapons and heavy blunt weapons should be considered to do lethal damage. Certain Powers may also fall under these restrictions (fire, radiation etc).Any character incapacitated by the above weapon types should also be considered dying. (At the GMs discretion.)Treat rank and file soldiers and similar characters as minions. This makes them a great threat when armed with powerful weaponry such as assault rifles but able to be “taken out” fairly easily for the action movie feel. The GM can also make any minion “taken out” killed rather than incapacitated as needed.Any penalties caused by lethal damage could take longer to heal. Anything from a hour to a day per level is acceptable but the GM should think hard before applying this to his campaign as it’s possible that injuries caused early on in an adventure could render a player useless or severely hampered for the remainder of a story.

If you back the EXTREME EARTH Kickstarter at the FIST HEAVY HITTER level or higher to get your first print copy of the book, you may add-on an additional $35 US for a second print copy. For shipping outside the US, please add $15 for each book you order (so $30 shipping for two books, $45 for three books etc.). And if you were one of the first 10 FIST RAPID RESPONDERS who added on to get a first print copy, you may take advantage of this offer as well.

You may purchase additional print copies for the same game system or different game systems. Just be sure to let us know when we send out our backer survey which game system(s) you need!